Can anyone tell me about the candy buttons coral (caulastrea furcata). I was wondering if this is a good coral to start with. It would be my first coral. Also would like to thank everyone for all the replies on the Mark Weiss question. I was going to buy some of his products. Thank you for saving my money. You guys are great. I am learning so much!
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candy buttons coral
- Thread starter new reefer in michigan
- Start date
I have power compacts from hamilton. I don"t know if these are as good a metal halides but I have an anemome that is doing very well with them. The tank is 120 with a remora pro and a backpack 2. I do not have or want a sump. I have an emperor 400 for filteration. In the tank are one anemome, one yellow tang, one spotted hawkfish, one eyelash blenny, one blackcap basset, one maroon clown, two blue damsels, several snail and crabs. Can I keep corals with this set up. Some of you guys may be laughing at my set up but I can take constructive criticisum.
Michigan,
I have C. furcata in my 29 gallon tank with 120 watts of PC light (4 watts per gallon) about mid way up the water column and it's quite happy (the polyps expanded nicely after being moved from the LFS). From what I have read and my short experience, the coral is not hard to keep and has been recommended by several people as a decent beginner LPS. You simply need to keep in mind the usual things: high water quality, medium intensity light (say 3-4 watts per gallon with a not too deep tank (anyone disagree?). I keep mine in an area of medium water flow. I feed mine about every week with some brine shrimp soaked in phytoplankton, and sometimes the polyps catch and eat bryopsis that gets dislodged when I remove the tufts from my live rock.
In order to determine if you can keep corals, you really need to read up on their individual needs. Some of the basic requirements are high water quality, some amount of water flow (the level of flow depends on the coral), knowing what they eat, and knowing what their light requirements are. What is the wattage on the PC’s you have? Tank dimensions? Nearly all anemone species are actually pretty darn hard to keep alive in a tank and most require stronger lighting than most corals and frequent feedings. Other corals that are easier to keep include most Mushroom corals, open brains, and most of the polyp species. Of course, once you get corals, there are some fish and inverts you need to stay away from.
Dave C.
I have C. furcata in my 29 gallon tank with 120 watts of PC light (4 watts per gallon) about mid way up the water column and it's quite happy (the polyps expanded nicely after being moved from the LFS). From what I have read and my short experience, the coral is not hard to keep and has been recommended by several people as a decent beginner LPS. You simply need to keep in mind the usual things: high water quality, medium intensity light (say 3-4 watts per gallon with a not too deep tank (anyone disagree?). I keep mine in an area of medium water flow. I feed mine about every week with some brine shrimp soaked in phytoplankton, and sometimes the polyps catch and eat bryopsis that gets dislodged when I remove the tufts from my live rock.
In order to determine if you can keep corals, you really need to read up on their individual needs. Some of the basic requirements are high water quality, some amount of water flow (the level of flow depends on the coral), knowing what they eat, and knowing what their light requirements are. What is the wattage on the PC’s you have? Tank dimensions? Nearly all anemone species are actually pretty darn hard to keep alive in a tank and most require stronger lighting than most corals and frequent feedings. Other corals that are easier to keep include most Mushroom corals, open brains, and most of the polyp species. Of course, once you get corals, there are some fish and inverts you need to stay away from.
Dave C.
OK. How many power compacts do you have (how many bulbs and how many watts each are the bulbs ?) and how much live rock do you have?
The emporer is a canister filter, right? If so you will have problems with nitrates eventually. Do you have a sand bed? If so, what kind of sand and how deep is it?
How long have you had your anemone? They require much more light than the candy cane coral.
Power compacts are not as good as metal halides, but you may not need the metal halides, depending on what you want to keep and how many bulbs you have.
Ernie
The emporer is a canister filter, right? If so you will have problems with nitrates eventually. Do you have a sand bed? If so, what kind of sand and how deep is it?
How long have you had your anemone? They require much more light than the candy cane coral.
Power compacts are not as good as metal halides, but you may not need the metal halides, depending on what you want to keep and how many bulbs you have.
Ernie
I have found c. furcata to be a very good beginners coral. It does not require enormous amounts of light. I have colonies in several different places around my tank. With less than 3 WPG of VHO, my c. furcata is happy and well adjusted, even in lower light areas of the tank.
A good choice for a pioneer coral.
A good choice for a pioneer coral.
The power compacts have two 96 watt bulbs. The tank has about 100 lbls of rock and about 120 lbs of sand, about 3 or 4 inches deep. The anemone has been in the tank for about two months. Nitrates are not a problem. They are at about 2.5 ppm. (thats good, right?). The emporer is actually a bio wheel filter that hangs on the back of the tank.
I don't think that the lighting you have will be sufficient for long term survival of the anemone.
The coral should be fine if placed high up in the tank.
I assume that the bulbs are placed end to end, and that your tank is 6' long, right? You will be able to keep only low-light species in this tank for the most part, unless you upgrade the lighting.
Your nitrates are low now. The only problem is that they will accumulate. Keep in mind that a biowheel is simply a fancy wet-dry filter. I had one on my 55G when I started on salt water and had nitrate problems. How old is the tank? Have you had algae problems?
Ernie
The coral should be fine if placed high up in the tank.
I assume that the bulbs are placed end to end, and that your tank is 6' long, right? You will be able to keep only low-light species in this tank for the most part, unless you upgrade the lighting.
Your nitrates are low now. The only problem is that they will accumulate. Keep in mind that a biowheel is simply a fancy wet-dry filter. I had one on my 55G when I started on salt water and had nitrate problems. How old is the tank? Have you had algae problems?
Ernie
esmithii, thank you for all your input. The tank is 4 feet long and 2 feet wide. The bulbs do go end to end. I have had this tank for about 6 years. Some of the fish I have had even longer. I have had algae problems in the past, but I now change the water every two weeks and have gotten rid of my algae problem. Also have 2 brittle stars that I think help to keep the nitrates under control. Sorry to read about the problems with your lamps.
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